Gomortega

Gomortega keule
Gomortega keule in Biobío Region
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Magnoliids
Order: Laurales
Family: Gomortegaceae
Reiche[1]
Genus: Gomortega
Ruiz & Pav.
Species: G. keule
Binomial name
Gomortega keule
(Molina) Baillon

Gomortega keule (syn. G. nitida; Spanish names Keule, Queule and Hualhual) is a tree native to Chile. It is the sole species of the genus Gomortega and, according to the APG II system of 2003 (unchanged from the APG system of 1998), of the monotypic family Gomortegaceae, assigned to the order Laurales in the clade magnoliids.

The plant grows only in a very narrow habitat range in coastal central Chile, with an example ecoregion of occurrence being the Chilean matorral.[2] The species is endangered of extinction due to overharvesting, clearing the forests where it is found for agriculture and silviculture.

Gomortega keule produces a yellow edible sweet fruit about 34–45 millimetres (1.3–1.8 in) in diameter, harvested for making a kind of marmalade.

References and external links

The species

The family

References

  1. Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2009). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III" (PDF). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 161 (2): 105–121. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x. Retrieved 2013-06-26.
  2. C. Michael Hogan & World Wildlife Fund. 2013. Chilean matorral. ed. M.McGinley. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC
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